Don't Tell
by Nakama.27
Summary: When Tsuna was nine, that's when received the orange little marble. When he was ten, he met Reborn. When he was thirteen, his twin was announced as the candidate for Decimo, and met Reborn again. Too bad that was how his brother was going to find out he was slowly dying, despite his plea for everyone who knew to keep their mouths shut.
1. Chapter 1

Sawada Tsunayoshi had been nine years old when he met the kind lady who'd passed the curse to him. Her mesmerizing blue eyes bore into his brown ones, softening at his curiosity. He didn't know why, but he sensed the lady was overwhelmed with some sense of sadness. He frowned, wondering if she was pitying him because of the bandaged bruise on his cheek. The nine year old didn't really want stranger's pity. But the lady had some kind of warmth in her presence, and she didn't seem so foreign. There was something about her that Tsuna felt he could trust her.

He had dumbly accepted the orange marble-looking item without much thought. Tsuna could see the frown marring her face despite the kind, gentle smile portrayed in front of him. His brown eyes glanced at the orange marble; it wasn't a marble, but a pacifier. His eyebrow raised for a moment, wondering why the lady would give him such a childish thing. He glanced back to the lady, about to ask, only to stop when he saw her saddened expression. She began to seem years beyond her young-looking age that he couldn't help but offer an innocent question instead.

" _Onee-san_ , are you okay?"

Tsuna could've sworn those same, ocean blue eyes turned glassy for a moment, but no tears fell from her eyes. The woman's expression brightened slightly as she wrapped her arms around the confused child.

"I'm sorry for what's to come ahead of you, Tsunayoshi-kun," she whispered softly. Tsuna could only hug her back, unsure of what to say. She pulled back, and said, with a less saddening smile, " _Always keep it with to you, promise me_?"

Tsuna had been ten years old when he met another person with the same pacifier, only a different color. His orange one had shined brightly in his pocket when the infant in front of him appeared. He began to panic, unable to hide the object. The infant in front of him wore a suit, looking as though he were a business man. On the rim of his hat was a small, green chameleon. The fellow pacifier-holder showed no ill intent toward him, and oddly, he _knew_ he could trust him.

The infant said he was sent by _Aria-san_ , causing him to listen in curiosity.

He was also ten years old when he learned about the mafia, and the purpose of the pacifier. And that was when he understood _Aria-san's_ sadness and he felt some sort of heavy wight upon his tiny shoulders. His world felt dark, and he felt like he learned something he was never suppose to dwindle in. A sudden paranoia washed over him, wondering if there were people watching him from every angle. The infant with the yellow pacifier—Reborn—had told him he had sky flames ( whatever that was, he explained it to him but the concept seemed crazy ) and that was why he was chosen as the next holder.

The brunet frowned as he tried to process the information. It really made no sense to him, and the fear of getting killed was really scaring him at that point, but the infant—who happened to be a hitman himself, one of the reasons he was the _Strongest Seven_ —reassured him that his father had people protecting him, his brother, and his mother from any assassins. He could hear Ienari's voice and heavy, pounding steps as his twin ran to him. The boy turned his head around, glancing at his brother, who carried a childish grin on his face. Reborn tipped his fedora and bid the young boy a farewell. Tsuna had wanted to ask another question, only for the infant already gone and a massive, pounding headache claiming him.

He staggered to his knees, Ienari freaking out, his voice loud as he frantically asked multiple questions and unknowingly adding onto his brother's headache until he passed out.

Tsuna was eleven years old when he met Kawahira, the man who gave a fuller explanation to Reborn's. The child didn't fully trust the man, however, causing him to chuckle and mention something about " _Vongola's infamous intuition_ " and ruffle his hair much to his dislike. The word _Vongola_ managed to stay in his mind for the years to come; for some reason, he felt that was important.

"Why was I chosen?" Tsuna decided to ask, fiddling with the pacifier in his small hands. "Reborn said it had to do with my sky flames, but I don't have any."

"Yes, it has to do with your sky flames. It is rare to find people possessing sky flames, especially flames as pure as yours, Tsunayoshi-kun. You've yet to unlock your potential," Kawahira mused lightly, and something about his smile seemed sickeningly sweet that Tsuna wanted to vomit or _just get away from him_. "I wonder if you know the situation you're in. Because you haven't used your flames yet, you've yet to experience the effects."

"What effects?" Tsuna asked, tensing. His brown eyes flickered with a sunset hue, narrowing dangerously at the man. Kawahira's smile grew wider.

"Don't worry, you'll see," he said, before frowning, "I do hope that you enjoy your life before then."

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked warily.

"The Sky Arcobaleno are cursed with a shorter lifespan, to put it simply," Kawahira murmured. He wasn't going to keep the child in the dark forever, he would have to learn sooner or later.

There was something about the tone in the man's voice. Solemn, and somewhat pitiful. _Just like Aria-san_. Tsuna allowed the barrier between him and the man to drop a bit. The man didn't seem as emotionless as he thought. No, he didn't like the pity, but to think that the man did seem to somewhat care about him made him seem less of a bad person. Then, the words sunk in. He was slowly dying. In a normal scenario, he'd be freaking out and think the man was just going crazy and sprouting nonsense, but he was eerily calm about it. He didn't exactly accept it, but then it made sense, _even more_ , why Aria seemed so pitiful when they first met. The man took the boy's hand, playing tiny chains in it.

"You can hide the glow with this. Sooner or later, the other Arcobaleno will look for you, to know you, but seeing as you live a civilian's life, it would be best to keep it more hidden," he said.

As Tsuna accepted the small chains and began wrapping the orange pacifier, he couldn't help but ask, "If the _Strongest Seven_ received these, why did I receive it, then?"

Kawahira did not respond, and instead said, " _It's getting late. Your family will begin to worry. Don't worry, you still have a lot of time ahead of you_."

Tsuna was twelve when he understood what Kawahira meant by _effects_. He was physically weaker, and while his brother was becoming a little muscular helping out clubs, he was skinny. It then became the one way everyone was able to differentiate the two Sawadas, the both of them nearly identical with the exceptions of their slight difference in eye color, and Ienari being taller and now a bit muscular, and Tsuna being shorter and skinnier.

"Tsuna, the soccer club wants my help today, so I'm gonna be late today."

Tsuna nodded, and watched his brother turn to some of his fellow classmates. He was lucky Ienari was busy today. He felt strangely sick, and he really didn't want his overreacting brother to start worrying again. He began to tread home slowly, knowing the younger of the two would be home pretty late, and he could take his time. He would feel the pacifier in his pocket rattle gently, a constant reminder of his even slower death.

 _When Tsuna was thirteen,_ _that's when Reborn re-entered his life with an all too innocent word, "_ _Ciaossu."_

Ienari stared eye to eye at the infant before him, and bursted into laughter. There was no way this was the tutor his mom called. It was all a scam, if he was the tutor. He only got kicked by the said infant in response. Tsuna winced, glancing at Reborn with a small nod. He turned to his twin, asking, "Are you alright?"

"My face hurts more than my stomach," Ienari groaned, before getting pulled up by Reborn. He didn't like this person from the get-go. Their mother giggled, murmuring among the lines of "them getting along just fine."

"I'll be going ahead, Ienari," Tsuna said, causing the younger Sawada to immediately run after him to school. How he managed to pass by without a sound, Ienari would never know. His brother was always more passive and quiet with his movement and actions.

"You don't seem surprised at all, Tsuna," Ienari remarked. Tsuna'd always been the one to sink things in more quickly, something, again, Ienari would never really understand how.

Tsuna hummed lightly in response, shrugging. "I guess."

"You're not surprised the tutor is a baby," Ienari deadpanned. "Don't you think that's weird?"

"I'm a hitman," came Reborn's voice, sitting atop of Tsuna's head. Ienari frowned. How did he get there?

"Really?" he asked boredly. "I'm an assassin then."

"You're a dame, dame-Nari," the arcobaleno said back.

"I don't want to hear that from a baby!" he snapped. Tsuna chuckled lightly, amused by the banter. Ienari whined, "Why're you laughing, Tsuna!?"

The sky arcobaleno shrugged, and continued to laugh. Ienari sighed deeply, before cracking a smile. Reborn hopped off of Tsuna's head and walked alongside the two Sawadas. Ienari tried to gauge whether this scam was the real deal not. It was definitely not a robot, he knew. Reborn's deep black eyes stared back at him, smirking.

"What a cute baby!" came the excited voice of Sasagawa Kyoko. "Is he your little brother?"

"N-no," Ienari stammered, blushing. The Nami-chuu idol smiled sweetly at the arcobaleno.

"I'm a hitman," Reborn said automatically, causing Kyoko to squeal lightly and kneel down to him.

"He's not our brother, but he's staying with us," Tsuna responded. Ienari cranked his head to him with a frown, _really, Tsuna_? The shorter twin shrugged, _it was the best I could come up with, make a better one next time_. Not that they could read minds, but they could read each other's expressions. Kyoko stood up, smiling widely.

"See you at school, Sawada-kun, Tsuna-kun," she said, waving and walking ahead. She'd spoken to Tsuna before, and to differentiate the two, she began to call him by his name. Ienari slightly wished he was in his brother's shoes. He was hardly able to have a conversation with her, while Tsuna would just speak to her without a problem. Once the girl was out of sight, he shot a look at Reborn.

"Are you gonna tell everyone you're a hitman?"

"You like her, don't you?" Reborn said, ignoring his comment. "Go talk to her, then."

"What're you talking about?! She's the school idol, I can't, it's impossible," he said. There was no way he could, especially with Mochida-senpai always with her. Besides, he really didn't want to hear that from a baby either, Tsuna already saying that to him everyday. He glanced at his brother for help, who had an " _I told you so_ " look on his face.

He really wanted to punch his brother, the little sneaky betrayer. The older Sawada was grinning, adding on to Ienari's annoyance. He sighed, defeated. The chameleon on Reborn's fedora changed into a gun, and he said, "Die."

It all happened in an instant, really. He could see his twin's shocked face, and the ever so annoying smirk on Reborn's face. _Hmm, if I knew I was dying, maybe I would've taken the chance to talk to her_. 

When Sawada Tsunayoshi, the young arcobaleno, was thirteen, that was when his mundane life turned around as his twin sprouted up, screaming and suddenly running with a sky flame on his forehead. His shock died down as he tried to process what the hell had just happened. Ienari wasn't immortal. He shot a look at Reborn, wanting answers. Any form of playful mischief on his face was gone as he turned to his sky.

"Does Ienari know?" Tsuna hadn't expect that, but he had a feeling he'd get answers later. He shook his head.

"Please don't tell him," he pleaded softly. "I don't want him to know."

A frown marred Reborn's face. There was no hesitation from him, but the deadly silence was overwhelming. Tilting his fedora, he responded, "If that's what you wish."

When he and Reborn reached the school, Ienari was nowhere in sight. Tsuna rose an eyebrow. He heard a few students either shocked or laughing, mentioning his brother's name. Kyoko locked eyes with him and quickly walked over. She looked distressed, the complete opposite of when he'd seen her just moments ago. Reborn was gone, probably nearby and listening.

"Tsuna-kun, Mochida-senpai challenged your brother to a kendo match because of me," she said uncertainly. She explained the situation, causing him to grimace. That was really, _really_ embarrassing. While the challenge wasn't really a big deal, Ienari was good in other sports but kendo.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," he said. The girl didn't look very convinced, but had a small smile on her face.

Honestly, entering the classroom with students exclaiming how _dame-Tsuna really influenced his brother_ was both disturbing, annoying, and even a bit embarrassing for himself too. He tried to ignore the comments as he sat in his seat, the familiar object around his neck rattling ever so slightly from the movement. He sighed softly and placed his head on the desk.

"Kyoko, you know he's trying to 'pay Sawada back' for what he did, right?" Hana asked, somewhat amused. Tsuna brought his head back up, somewhat curious. She noticed the action, and said, "Your brother's not the type to do that, so why did he?"

Kyoko glanced at him worriedly. Wisely, he decided to say, "It's a long story, but basically he wasn't really himself today."

"Sawada's good at sports, so I'm sure he'll hold up somehow," Hana murmured. As soon as she said that, Ienari entered the classroom, keeping his head down as fellow classmates began laughing at him.

Lunch break, he was tugged by Ienari to the roof, where it was quiet, and explained the same scenario with a huge blush on his face. Tsuna didn't pity his brother, but he did feel a little bad that it happened to him. He'd probably feel more humiliated than his brother if it was him. Of course he already heard the story from Kyoko, Ienari's clothes were "missing" and he pretty much confessed to the girl ( that, Kyoko didn't mention ) and everyone saw it and Mochida, angered, challenged him to a kendo match which would begin in a few minutes.

"What do I do, Tsuna?" Ienari asked, nearly pleading.

"First, calm down. You're not backing down the challenge, are you?" Ienari shook his head. "Then just face the challenge, somehow win it, and that's it."

"But that's easier said than done!"

"You asked me," Tsuna said, shrugging.

"You have to learn to solve your own problems, _dame-Nari,"_ of course Reborn would appear. The Sawada twins glanced warily at the hitman. He got Ienari in the whole mess in the first place, after all.

Tsuna only stayed up to when he noticed Reborn shoot his brother again, but didn't manage to stay for the kendo match, as he instead, silently retreated to the classroom. There were no students within the room, causing him to sigh in relief. With that, his shoulders fell as he slumped against the wall, the chained pacifier clutched in his hands as he fought the urge to pass out.

It had been happening more often, the bouts of pain. His body was burning inside, palms becoming sweaty. He was tempted to let out a cry, but he didn't want to alert any students walking down the halls. Instead, he hugged his knees tightly and stayed in the same position for what seemed like ages until lunch break was over.

 **I don't have much to say, but this is probably gonna be a short fic. I don't have much plans for this, so it isn't going to be long.**

 **This is mostly in Tsuna's view, so he's not necessarily going to be around to see the guardians come together. He'll have the general idea, though.**


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm here to make one of you a mafia boss."

"Yeah, right," Ienari scoffed, "And I'm also a hacker in disguise."

He was then kicked in the stomach as a result. Tsuna cringed, thankful that wasn't him. The taller Sawada groaned in annoyance. Tsuna had a rather awful feeling he was telling the truth. He didn't know why, but his intuition was unusually accurate, and he began to trust and believe it. But a mafia boss, him, or Ienari? That seemed close to impossible.

Though, he couldn't deny the both of them possessed sky flames.

"The both of you are candidates to be the Tenth Generation boss of the Vongola Family," Reborn continued. _Vongola_ , the brunet remembered. Kawahira mentioned that word before. His eyes narrowed slightly, suddenly keen with interest. Ienari once again sat beside his brother, listening. "You both are direct descendants of the founder of the Vongola, Primo."

As if to prove himself, he even pulled out a paper of what seemed like their ancestry, this "Primo" at the top, and his and Ienari's names at the bottom. Ienari turned to him. _Is he lying_? Tsuna shook his head. In response, the younger Sawada slumped onto the table, suddenly very exhausted.

"I was sent by the Ninth to train Ienari."

"Surely there were other candidates?" Ienari quickly asked. "B-besides Tsuna."

"The Ninth's sons were candidates," Reborn chirped, "One of them was shot, another drowned, and the other's death is unknown but his bones remained."

Reborn, with a cheeky smirk, was about to pull out pictures when both twins simultaneously screeched against it, Ienari close to gagging and Tsuna feeling sick just thinking about it. The hitman proceeded to explain why he shot the younger Sawada, and what _Dying Will_ was. Tsuna'd already heard the explanation from him and Kawahira, feeling less of the need to pay full attention.

Later that night, in his room, he managed to manifest his sky flame, albeit a little, on his finger. The orange flame didn't burn him, as it danced lightly on his finger. He'd done so once in a while, staring in awe at how it would never harm him.

He'd once met all the other arcobaleno _once_ , who all had their own methods of teaching him how to do so, all of which were complicated. In the end, he didn't really learn _how_ to do it. They were all much friendlier than he'd anticipated, as they were all the Strongest Seven— _Six_ , since Tsuna was _not_ strong. But the other six arcobaleno all said the same, repetitive words, " _You have pure, strong sky flames_."

He had then asked all of them, why _he_ of all people was selected, causing most of them to give him a look, as though they'd just explained it already. The mist arcobaleno had said that the next sky was suppose to be _Aria-san's_ daughter, and hadn't explained any further. Reborn, threatening the boy with a gun, emphasized they had just said he had very strong flames and to not question it again, which caused the cloud arcobaleno to rebuke him, and then nearly got shot by said arcobaleno. The storm arcobaleno kindly explained that his sky flames were stronger than _Aria-san's_ or her daughters, and he had yet to use them to a full extent. But that didn't seem like a good enough explanation.

Not that Tsuna could really question how, but Reborn had appeared in the room not long after. He deducted it must've been from his window, as he left it open. He didn't move from his position, his brown eyes mesmerized to the soft flame on his finger.

His eyes always had an amber hue to them, compared to Ienari's, a darker brown. It was one of the easiest ways to differentiate the two of them, if one knew them well enough. He then wondered what a _pure sky flame_ was. Supposedly he had, but what was the proof in that? Just because he heard seven people telling him so, what was the evidence in that?

"You're able to manifest your flame, compared to last time," Reborn mused. He didn't respond, unsure of what to say. Then, the hitman's next words caught his attention, "I won't be training you as a candidate."

"Why?" not that he wanted to be a mafia boss, but, why? His curiosity grew.

"The Ninth ordered Ienari to be trained, under your father's recommendation."

"I'm the older twin," he blurted unconsciously, unfazed of hearing his father thrown into the mix. The little flame on his finger disintegrated as he glanced at the sun arcobaleno, "Usually the eldest is the heir."

"He said your physical state was weak, that he wanted to keep you safe and stay away from the mafia world. But that's not happening as you're already affiliated, being an arcobaleno. It adds on to the fact that you _can't_ be the Vongola Tenth. The Tri-Ni-Set will be disturbed if you were to hold two positions, unless you'd be able to handle both the Vongola ring and the Arcobaleno Pacifier, which won't be happening."

He was right, the brunet realized. He'd forgotten about the Tri-Ni-Set. His shoulders sagged in relief. A mafia boss was not something he preferred—especially because he would probably die before even becoming one in the first place, which was useless. Reborn then added, "However, it would probably be wise if you learned some self-defense or how to fight. It would also be best if you could use your flames to your advantage, how to control it from emanating and attracting other mafioso. Before coming here, I could sense your flames miles away, _dame-Tsuna_."

 _What a killjoy_.

He still hadn't known what happened after the kendo match—he would forget to ask Ienari when he'd have the chance to—but he began to notice how Kyoko began to refer to him as _Ienari-kun_ instead, which seemed to brighten his brother's spirits considerably everyday. He smiled wryly at the result. It must've ended in a better result, from the looks of it.

Another thing he noticed was that Ienari seemed to have a bit more respect than usual—being a bit of an athletic prodigy but not participating in any clubs had occasional teams asking for him to sub in if they were short a player. He would've assumed that since the _Dying Will_ incident they continued to downgrade him, but instead it seemed quickly forgotten.

Nami-chuu's prefect roamed the hall, glaring at every student within his radius. He was a _cloud_. Tsuna cringed, knowing the head of the Disciplinary Committee wasn't too fond of him ( and his brother after yesterday's incident ). But he was always an unlucky person—save for Reborn's crazy tutoring antics—and silver eyes glared harshly at him. Meekly, Tsuna lowered his gaze, only for him to nearly shriek as Hibari called out, "Herbivore."

"Y-yes!" he exclaimed, his voice pitched.

"What was your brother thinking?" the senior demanded. "He disturbed the peace of Namimori."

"Er.." he stammered. _Think of a lie, think of a lie_ , "He-he was having an off day yesterday, I don't think he'll cause anymore problems again!"

Silver eyes narrowed, and Tsuna inwardly shrunk. His nerves always tensed around the prefect. He was always afraid of being bitten to death by him—paranoia reasons and the possibility of the pacifier slipping from his neck. The prefect then proceeded to continue walking down the hall, leaving the brunet alone. Tsuna sighed in relief, and walked to the classroom.

He had a strong feeling the day would be a bit interesting.

And his intuition was proven right once more when a silver-haired student entered the classroom with the teacher. Tsuna could sense he was a _storm_. Emerald green eyes stared boredly at the classroom, before locking eyes on him, then to Ienari. He glared harshly at the athletic Sawada, causing the brunet confusion and fear. _Hmm, Ienari already got on his bad side_. That was almost funny, Tsuna realized. But he didn't laugh.

"We'll be having a new student joining us today, he transferred over from Italy, Gokudera Hayato."

 _Gokudera Hayato, huh? Reborn came from Italy, didn't he_? Tsuna's observation was cut short when the annoyed teen glared at him harshly, like he'd done to Ienari— _wait, why me_?!—and went over to his brother's desk and kicked it over. The stunned brunet fell out of his chair, speechless. The teacher reprimanded Gokudera for his actions, but the teen seemed to ignore it as he took a seat.

Lunch break, he got up from his seat and walked over to his brother's desk, while most of the students left the classroom. "Ienari, you know the new student?"

"Tsuna, you do know that if I knew someone you'd know them too," Ienari deadpanned, pulling out his bento. Reborn hadn't taken it this time, thankfully. Tsuna was about to counter him back, but it was useless to argue over a little thing.

"It looks like you got on his bad side, though," he murmured.

"This is the first time we met, I can guarantee you, Tsuna."

Tsuna's eyes caught the Italian teen getting up from his desk, glaring at him again. He shivered momentarily, is he on his bad side too? Ienari noticed his brother's diverted attention, cranking his head around curiously, only to meet eyes with the transfer student. He nearly fell out of his seat, stumbling backward.

"I don't accept you as the Vongola Tenth," the Italian uttered, loud enough for only the twins to hear. Tsuna, oddly, didn't seem surprised at the statement ( when he really should've been ). Ienari was probably having trouble comprehending the situation, his brown eyes wide with shock as he, this time, fell from his chair. He scrambled to sit again, sneaking a glance at Tsuna for his reaction.

But any further conversation was interrupted by Yamamoto butting in with a hearty laugh, swinging his arms around both twins. The Italian sent a ugly glare to the innocent baseball player, before walking back to his seat. He was going to settle it later, Tsuna figured.

Yamamoto was one of Ienari's friends, a fellow athletic student. He was a _rain_. Tsuna'd occasionally talk to him too, just, he was _Ienari's_ friend, and whenever he'd come over, the brunet often stayed in his room alone. The younger Sawada seemed rather relieved to see the happy-go-lucky teen, probably because being around Gokudera had a rather tense atmosphere.

"Yo, Ienari, Tsuna," he said casually, "you guys know the new student?"

"No," Ienari responded, "It's the first time we've met him."

The two athletic students began to chit-chat about an upcoming game, leaving Tsuna out of the conversation—not intentionally. The brunet glanced at Gokudera, a sudden realization coming to mind. He staggered over to the teen, ignoring his raging—sometimes _annoying_ —intuition to _wait until the attack would come and go_. But he didn't have time to wait, if his suspicion was correct.

And, time was a rather more sinister enemy to him, compared to everyone else.

"Gokudera-kun," he greeted lightly, his voice soft and just above a whisper.

"Which one of you is the boss?" the teen barked, but kept his voice low, seeing as Tsuna'd done so. He had a mind of respect, he realized. The brunet smiled and gestured to his brother. Angered green eyes softened slightly. "You didn't seem like a boss, anyway."

It sounded like an insult ( maybe it was, to a certain extent ), but he knew the teen meant it differently, that his brother seemed the better choice. Tsuna wasn't offended, really, he was a bit proud for his brother. Yeah, neither of them wanted to be in the mafia, but Tsuna, by default, was, and Ienari needed his fair share of the torture. Besides... it seemed like it would be a good experience for Ienari, he just didn't know why or how. His voice was barely a whisper as he murmured, "You're a mafioso, aren't you?"

"Smoking Bomb Hayato, they called me," he responded idly. "Aren't you both twins, meaning you're fighting for the position, though?"

 _You can trust him_ , his intuition seemed to say. He squashed down the attack daring to take over, his smile becoming strained. Hesitantly, he pulled the small thread around his beck, revealing the chained orange pacifier. There was utter shock in the storm's eyes. Quickly, he shoved it under his shirt. The empty classroom consisted of his brother, Yamamoto, Gokudera, himself, and about five other students. The room wasn't entirely silent, and he turned his gaze back to the mafioso, keeping his voice soft and low, "I _can't_ be a candidate. Ienari is suited for it, and.. he's not a bad person, really."

The teen's eyes then narrowed, contemplating the thought. Tsuna then wondered if he dropped his rude demeanor just to get intel on his brother or something, hopefully not, though he could sense that Gokudera was going to do something. But, at the same time, he didn't seem like a bad person. " _I'll see that myself_."

Reborn had asked for Tsuna to get an extra pair of the school uniform and come to the back of the school. By the time he reached them, Ienari was in _Dying Will Mode_ — _oh god_ and he had just kind of promised Hibari that there wouldn't be anymore incidents _he's gonna die he's gonna die_ —defusing dynamite. Dynamite... was perfectly normal. Yes, it was.

 _IT WAS NOT NORMAL_. Then again, Reborn shooting Ienari and a flame on his forehead appearing and Tsuna carrying a pacifier that was slowly killing him was perfectly normal. He had no right to freak out. He had absolutely no right whatsoever to say the scenario was impossible and that this was not normal and that—

"Oh, _dame-Tsuna_ , just in time," Reborn chirped. Huh, Reborn was liking the nickname very much now. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. The flame on his twin's forehead died out as the raging look in his face softened, and he sighed. Perhaps that was his cue as he handed the spare uniform to his brother. _So we're gonna be doing this a lot, aren't we_?

Gokudera, shocked, _astonished_ , dropped to his knees, and said, "You saved my life... Y-you risked your life for mine. I was wrong. You are indeed worthy of being the tenth boss, _Jyuudaime_."

It was both the Sawada twins' turns to be shocked. Ienari was speechless, and began to exclaim they they could just be friends, only for Gokudera to outright refuse and insisted on calling him _Jyuudaime_. Reborn smirked at the outcome, proceeding to explain the _loser serves the winner_. Tsuna was shocked at the sudden change in attitude, glancing warily at the sun arcobaleno, wondering if this was planned from the start.

Reborn was gathering subordinates for Ienari, and the brunet hoped deep down Hibari, _a potential cloud guardian_ , was not a part of it. He was sure they'd all be dead one day. The senior hated chaos in Namimori, and Tsuna just knew that things were going to get chaotic from then on. He then realized Yamamoto, _a potential rain guardian_ , was a candidate, with a bit of dread. He could see Hibari being a part of the mafia but not Yamamoto, a _civilian_. It was true that he and Ienari were civilians, but they were descended from a powerful man, and their father was a mafioso.

The next few days grew livelier, Gokudera beaming with upmost joy around Ienari, and Yamamoto, being an idiot and joining the bandwagon without much thought. He respected the baseball player but _please_ , the mafia a _game_. _A GAME_. He had to agree with Gokudera's anger and annoyance to his reaction, but that was how Yamamoto was, happy-go-lucky and taking things in stride. Ienari being friends with the teen seemed to have made it easier to bring him into the group.

Though, his brother was stupider into unintentionally making his friend suicidal without really realizing it. He broke his arm and was about to jump off the roof—where was the prefect when you needed him to stop these things? Tsuna had somehow convinced him out of it, mostly angry at how he could throw his life away over a broken arm, and that he had many people who cared about him. He didn't want to mention he was dying and he trying to live for as much as he could, while Yamamoto had so much ahead of him, _that he didn't have to worry that he would die soon_ , but it was one of the reasons he'd snapped.

And unintentionally, he was about to kill himself too when the fence snapped and Yamamoto dragged the brunet along with him, only for Reborn to shoot Ienari, the idiot who did nothing and just watched the whole exchange between him and the baseball player, and save the both of them miraculously.

It really ended with both twins yelling at each other for being idiots and Yamamoto was laughing his heart out, thanking the two Sawadas with a soft gaze in his hazel eyes. At that point, Tsuna could feel the rain flames and Ienari's sky flames somewhat harmonizing with each other. With solemn eyes, he realized it was he who let a civilian become a mafioso. There was no going back for him.

Ienari's flames were growing stronger. He could sense the harmonization practically oozing out of him, and how he was gaining guardians easily. At some point, he wondered if his brother wanted to be a mafia boss. He could feel his brother slipping away, with that thought in mind.

"Tsuna, Reborn said he wants you," Ienari said. Tsuna's eyes flicked upward, nodding dumbly. He couldn't recall the last time he and Ienari had a close conversation, save for their recent argument and their occasional comments to one another in school.

Upon entering his brother's room, both he and Ienari were nearly shot to death as a greeting from Reborn. Tsuna shrieked, falling back. _What the hell, Reborn_?! Ienari stifled a small laugh, before getting another bullet his way, and it was his turn to shriek.

"We're gonna play a game of homework! Get a question wrong, you get shot!" Reborn chirped, his gun morphing back into Leon.

"I didn't agree to this!" Tsuna cried.

"Me neither!" Ienari joined.

"You're allowed to work together," the sun arcobaleno added, smirking. Tsuna's eyes flickered orange, feeling somewhat threatened.

"There's no choice, huh?" Ienari said softly. Tsuna shot a look at his brother, _you're giving up already_?! But then he remembered that Ienari was given all the crazy forms of training, he was bound to get used to something like this.

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?" Tsuna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you _wanna_ die?" Ienari hissed lightly. Seeing the brunet's desperate look causes Tsuna to sigh and join.

Tsuna had to admit, he was having fun. It was scary, life-threatening, yet somewhat enjoyable. He wondered if that was why Yamamoto took things in stride and laughed them off, to have much more fun memories. Ienari looked like he was having the time of his life—all the dangerous things happened to him the most.

Then came a five year old in a cow suit trying to kill Reborn through their window.


	3. Chapter 3

"Next question!" Reborn chirped, smacking the five year back out the window. Both twins glanced warily at Reborn. That was not normal whatsoever.

"R-Reborn.." Tsuna began uncertainly.

"You know the answer?" the sun arcobaleno asked, readying his gun if he was wrong. But the he and Ienari were never in the mood at all from the start, but Ienari wouldn't dare challenge Reborn like Tsuna would ( well.. he was still scared but he would still try to ).

Then the five year old appeared by the door, sniffling as he began, "B-Bovino Lambo-san, who likes g-grape candy, is here to k-kill Reborn!"

 _Try doing that if you're suicidal_ , Tsuna thought wryly. Reborn had yet to acknowledge the boy. Annoyed, the five-year-old pulled out a grenade from his hair ( _how is_ that _possible_?! ) and launched it toward them. Ienari shrieked, the object falling in his hand as he fumbled with it. Tsuna grabbed the object and threw it out the window. The grenade exploded in the air, and he fell back in relief, his brother's hands still trembling at the thought of a grenade in them.

The boy murmured among the lines _gotta stay calm_ and within moments began crying. Tsuna quickly realized with a jolt that the boy was a _lightning_. This was a potential guardian for Ienari, but he was a _five year old,_ too young for the trouble ahead. He decided to walk over to the boy, ignoring Ienari's protests of " _He's crazy, don't go near him_!" and offered a candy from his pocket with a polite smile. It wasn't grape candy, but it was what he had. The sniffling boy looked from the candy to Tsuna's ember eyes, and took it greedily with a smile.

"Lambo-san makes you his subordinate! What's your name?" the boy cried cheerfully, jumping into his lap.

"I'm Tsuna, and that's Ienari," he responded with a smile. The boy grinned and plopped the candy in his mouth. Tsuna rose an eyebrow, amused. He could feel both of their flames, but he knew with great certainty that they could _not_ harmonize. That was for Ienari, who usually did so without much realization. Perhaps the child was a bit smarter than he thought, being familiar with many terms. Gently, he picked the five year old up and gave him to Ienari, smiling innocently. The Vongola Tenth in training gave him a skeptical look. But the innocent child sent him a bored look.

"Reborn," Ienari called uncertainly, annoyed and afraid. Lambo's attention was brought back to Reborn, and he jumped out of Ienari's arms and ran full force to the sun arcobaleno. In response, he was smacked out the window once more. Both twins cringed, knowing that was rather painful.

"I don't associate with people lower than me," the hitman responded simply.

"We're all lower than you," Ienari muttered to himself, annoyed. But he and Reborn still heard it. As a result, he was kicked in the face. Tsuna hid a knowing smile and within moments, Lambo returned to their room and ran to the sky arcobaleno, crying again. With a gentle smile, he tried to calm him down, and the boy's muffled cries reduced to hiccups. When the boy was content, he hopped over to Ienari, and Tsuna stood up to leave the room.

 _"Tsuna, why're you leaving me with the kid?!"_

The minute he opened the door, he was greeted by Ienari's _storm_ and _rain_ , with a one-sided argument in front of their household. Gokudera's eyes beamed, asking if Ienari was around. Yamamoto laughed, jokingly mentioning the twins are always together, that neither are far from the other. The _storm_ sent the laughing _rain_ a dirty look, but out of respect for Tsuna, he said nothing.

Gokudera tried to keep a calmer demeanor around him, always being polite towards him. Of course, around Ienari, it was like a puppy and his master relationship ( one that Ienari was trying hard to change into _just friends_ ). He wondered if the _storm_ did so just because he was an arcobaleno, but he did the same towards Reborn so that was quickly answered. He rather enjoyed Gokudera's ecstatic personality, as he somewhat lightened up the atmosphere.

He was also very, _very_ grateful at how trustworthy he was. He'd told the teen that he didn't want anyone—especially Ienari—to know, and with serious, solemn eyes, he nodded.

Yamamoto remained the same towards him, not even knowing about the arcobaleno and really just being himself. His laid back personality was rather calming, in contrast to Gokudera's fiery one. With a laugh, the teen ruffled Tsuna's hair, causing Gokudera to rebuke his action.

"Ienari's in his room," he responded meekly, "with a new guest."

Both of Ienari's guardians gave him a look, _that better not be bad_. In response, he smiled wryly and shrugged. Lambo didn't completely seem like a threat. The two of them were indeed loyal to Ienari, embraced by his growing sky flames. Politely, he guided the two upstairs to his brother's room. With an exasperated sigh, knowing something crazy was going on in the room, hearing Lambo crying and Ienari and Reborn fighting just from outside the door. Tsuna pushed it open, and with a loud, clear voice, " _Ienari!"_

The said teen shrieked, freezing on the spot. Tsuna cracked a little smile. That was always amusing. The Vongola Tenth to be was beside the potential _lightning_ , trying to soothe the crying child. Reborn was still on the table next to the papers of homework. Smiling sheepishly, he quickly added, "Sorry, just wanted you to know Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto are here."

"Don't yell like that again!" Ienari pleaded fearfully. "It's scary!"

He was shot with a Dying Will bullet and had to run five laps around Namimori as a result. Lambo's cries reduced to hiccups when he noticed Ienari was long gone. He locked eyes with Tsuna and a happy smile made a way to his face. Gokudera stood perplexed at the child before them.

"Who's this cow-brat?" he muttered. It was clear he didn't like the child, glaring harshly at him. _He does this to every new person he sees_?!

"That's Bovino Lambo, _dame-Ienari's_ new subordinate," Reborn responded with a smirk. The said five year old's crying began once more. He pulled out a purple bazooka and within moments, smoke filled the room. Gokudera demanded an explanation from the child and Yamamoto began coughing from the smoke. Reborn instead then supplied, "That's the ten year bazooka. You switch with yourself from ten years in the future for five minutes."

"That's cool! So you can basically say hi to your friends in the future?" Yamamoto offered.

"Why would you do that, baseball-freak? That's—"

" _Yare, yare_ , my younger self did this again?" the three middle schoolers turned their heads to the fifth participant in Ienari's room. He carried the same black, curly hair as Lambo, and his green eyes were filled with boredom. His clothes seemed to still sport cow print on them. _This was Bovino Lambo, ten years into the future_. For a moment, Tsuna wondered if the five year old changed at all in ten years. He looked the same, yet a little different.

"That's Lambo's future self, ten years from now," Reborn continued. Fifteen year old Lambo flashed a lazy smile in the hitman's direction, nodding. Quickly, he averted his eyes away and looked at the three in front of him. He was taller than him, Gokudera, and Yamamoto, for sure.

"I'm assuming my younger self just arrived?" Lambo asked. Tsuna hadn't expected the teen to become so mature already, but quickly remembered he was exposed to the mafia at a young age, naturally the case would happen. With surprised eyes, he looked at Tsuna and couldn't help but ask, "Is that Ienari?"

Realization quickly sunk before Tsuna could deny it, and the teen latched onto him, embracing him tightly. Somewhat shocked and uncomfortable, he stiffened. He could feel Lambo trembling slightly, his breath hitched and his voice breaking as he softly murmured, " _Tsuna-nii_."

Right. He was obviously dead in the future, of course Lambo from ten years would react this way. His body relaxed, understanding making its way. Lambo was crying. _Lambo was crying_. Tsuna, frowning, unsure of what to do, gently wrapped his arms around the sobbing frame. It probably made it worse, because the _lightning's_ sobs seemed to have gotten louder. Huh, Lambo didn't change at all, he was still a crybaby. He continuously repeated his name, snapped between sobs and a pathetically broken voice.

"Don't cry, Lambo," ... _or else I will, too_.

The room was eerily silent as none tried to bother the hysterical future teen. More so, they didn't know what to say. Reborn on the other hand, respectively kept silent. Slowly, Lambo released his arms and looked into his ember eyes, a genuinely happy yet forlorn smile on his face. Those green eyes reflected grief and joy at once. Tsuna nodded with a small, reassuring smile on his face. It was futile, as those bright green eyes watered and the fifteen year old struggled to keep a calmed composure. Before his time was up, Lambo quickly added, softly, " _Tsuna-nii, I miss you a lot.._."

Once again, smoke filled the room and a curious five year old Lambo was in Tsuna's arms. Gokudera's hands clenched into fists, Reborn tipped his fedora, and Yamamoto, despite not knowing everything, knew even a joke or a laugh couldn't lighten the heavy atmosphere, and he wisely fell silent. Tsuna bit his lip, trying hard as to not let any tears fall.

Stupid little boy. He was prepared and ready to die, ready if it was too slow or too sudden, now he wasn't so sure if want to die, or even ready to. Curse the curse, he thought darkly. He didn't want to see anyone break down like that. Five year old Lambo looked up at him curiously, and asking, "Why're you crying, _Tsuna-nii_?"

Stupid, stupid kid had to quickly rub off on him.

Before Tsuna could try and reassure the boy, he heard Ienari staggering up the stairs, tired, and obviously annoyed. He glanced at the door, causing the _rain_ and _storm_ to look as well. The taller Sawada entered the room, scratching his head, about to utter a comment before stopping. He frowned, about to speak, before pausing. Ienari sensed the heavy atmosphere, and he wasn't sure that was a good thing.

"What.. did I miss?" he asked hesitantly. "Why're you all.. upset?"

.

Hesitant brown eyes glanced meekly at the six infants in front of him, each carrying a colored pacifier. He recognized Reborn from the start, but hadn't murmured any form of greeting, seeing as he hadn't either. They all carried unreadable, bland expressions. But there was something he could sense from each of them, the distrust that was clearly visible in those eyes.

He did something bad, didn't he? He must've done something that made them hate him. His eyes glanced at Reborn, with an inch of hope that he didn't hate him, but he carried the same bland look as the rest. Tsuna glanced warily at the other arcobaleno, noticing the one with the red pacifier didn't look as distrustful as the rest, instead, looking peaceful.

"You don't trust me," he murmured, eyes dimming slightly. He didn't know why it seemed to hurt more than he thought it should. He didn't know them, and they didn't know him. The arcobaleno remained silent, unresponsive. He then realized then that _Aria-san_ was the previous holder of his pacifier. They trusted _her_.

"You're right," the hooded arcobaleno finally spoke, "We don't trust you."

"I'm sorry," the boy whispered weakly, eyes glued to the ground. It felt like a stab to his chest to hear the words, than when he voiced it in his mind. There was probably no way any of them would trust him, but he continued, "I took _Aria-san_ away from you..." _didn't I?_

"It was suppose to be her daughter," the _mist_ continued, voice lowered. His eyes dimmed further, suddenly guilty.

"At least she'll live a longer life," the _storm_ offered, his eyes softening ever so slightly. He looked a bit like _Hibari-san_ without a doubt, but with a kinder face.

"And now this civilian brat is taking her place," the _mist_ uttered in response. He felt another stab, and tears threatened to fall down his face. It hurt, it _hurt_ to feel the hatred emitting from the _mist_. 

"He's descended from _Vongola Primo_ ," Reborn finally said, fedora tipped downward. There was that _Vongola_ again, Tsuna realized. Whatever who or what that was, the arcobaleno shut their mouths and their faces looked less distrustful. He blinked away forming tears, because crying in front of them seemed pathetic and he was pathetic enough—

" _He's_ Primo's descendant?! Looks nothing like him!" the _cloud_ exclaimed, only to nearly get shot by Reborn. Tsuna wasn't sure whether to be offended or not, but he inwardly shrunk. Maybe they knew he was _dame-Tsuna_ , that's why they didn't like him. Because he was no good, and no one wanted a no good person as a boss—was that what a sky arcobaleno was?

"Shut up, lackey."

"It explains the sky flames," the _lightning_ murmured. 

"You're all scaring the kid, _kora_!" the rain exclaimed.

Least to say, it was very awkward meeting them all in his neighborhood as an eleven-year-old who'd just met _Kawahira-san_ moments prior, and somehow predicted the infants would meet him. Or maybe he set this up, the brunet wondered. But they seemed to trust him a little more, and he wasn't going to complain. His dimmed eyes glowed with a small hope. He would try to prove he wasn't _dame_. 

His flames were uncontrolled back then, practically flowing out of him. He always felt other people's flames, ever since he received that little orange marble. But he didn't know everyone, some people he just couldn't sense flames from them. He'd always known Yamamoto was a _rain_ and Kyoko's big brother was a _sun_ and Hibari-san was a _cloud_ and that shy girl he met in the hospital once was a _mist_ and of course, his brother being a fellow _sky_. Ienari had been the one whose flames were sealed back then, and Tsuna, the _naive little sky_ only watched in curiosity back then as he no longer felt that warming presence from his brother after his father and his father's boss's visit.

Tsuna woke up with a jolt, half dazed. It was the first time he'd met the arcobaleno back then. Why'd he remember that? His orange eyes glanced around the bright, blinding room. The sun had risen a while ago. It was morning, wasn't it? Such simple facts took him longer to absorb, like what he was just doing or what he was thinking of or where he even was.

He was in his room, he was asleep, he was _alive_. He could feel his soft flames throughout the room, warm and soothing. Tsuna smiled lazily; he wanted to go back to sleep with this comforting feeling. He felt at ease. Yet his intuition pricked with danger and to _snap out of it_. Temptations were always a fickle thing, he'd learned the hard way. Slowly, he sat up from his bed, but the sudden exhaustion caused him to lean his head on the wall.

Was it always warm in his room? Scratch that, had it always been this comforting? His flames were so nice, he realized. Any forms or stress or worry seemed to melt away. He tried to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind, disturbing his peace. But that nagging feeling was never wrong, yet what seemed so wrong about his flames being so comforting and gentle around him? He felt _free_ , he felt like letting everything go.

"—na? Tsuna?"

Orange eyes turned brown once more, hazed vision slowly clearing as he felt a hand shaking his lithe frame. Finally focused, he locked eyes with a worried Ienari. His shoulders sagged in relief and he placed a hand on his forehead. Tsuna felt like he was going to be sick. His brother pulled his hand away, his worried face softening.

"Oh, good, you can see me, I can't tell if you're having a fever and I didn't know what to do I just knew something was wrong when I came to your room and—"

"Ienari, just shut up for a minute," Tsuna muttered, feeling the beginning of a headache. His head pounded furiously and he could feel the flames that once danced around in his room no longer present.

"Sorry."

Ienari was going to catch on soon, he knew with a fact. The both of them carrying that intuition, it wouldn't be long before the teen found out. That was exactly what Tsuna didn't want. It wasn't really Ienari's ramble that was going to give him a headache, although it certainly added onto it. Whatever _that_ was really drained a lot out of him.

"What was I doing?" he asked sharply.

"You were just sitting and looked half dead, and you looked like you had a fever, but you didn't. You feeling okay?" Ienari's voice was surprisingly gentle, laced with worry. Tsuna hummed lightly in response, not feeling the need to speak. He closed his eyes in concentration. He was fine now, and he was fine the night before. He was fine now. The thread was still around his neck. Everything was fine.

There was no need for his mother or Ienari to worry, he told himself for the umpteenth time.

 **thanks for your reviews :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Lambo was the first of the freeloaders, then came Gokudera's older sister, and the storm arcobaleno's student. Tsuna wondered what was next, seeing as the household _and_ Ienari's famiglia seemed to increase together as the days went by. He still wasn't sure as to how exactly Kyoko's brother was looped into the mess or how the hell did Hibari-san not go crazy and nearly kill them all yet after all the disturbances.

"Hey, Tsuna, if you had the chance, would you have taken the boss position instead?" Ienari asked, avoiding eye contact. He quickened his pace slightly, walking ahead of him.

"Why do you ask?" he responded. He could sense the hesitation in those dark brown eyes. It'd been a while since they'd properly spoken, with Ienari constantly dealing with all sorts of insanity from Reborn, and then trying to find time to himself. There wasn't always a chance to finally talk about it.

"I.. I don't want to be a mafia boss," he admitted, sighing deeply. "I.. I get that dad and the Ninth chose me, but I don't want this life. I'm getting people involved in things they shouldn't be in."

"Did you tell Reborn?"

"You think I can, with everything he's put me through?! Watch him make me forge an alliance next! He won't let me out of this mess."

"But the experiences got you to talk to Kyoko, and Hibari-san hasn't bitten you to death lately, 'cept for that time you guys took the Disciplinary Committee's room," Tsuna offered.

"I guess, but Yamamoto, Kyoko-chan and _Onii-san_ are getting involved and they're gonna get hurt," Ienari replied, sighing. "You're always somehow able to sneak away from all the craze, you know that?"

Tsuna shrugged, "You're the boss, I'm merely backup, I don't need to experience _everything_."

 _Lies, lies, and more lies_.

"Remind me to make you a second in command or something in the future then, you're the last sane person I know," Tsuna's smile became strained. His hand formed a trembling fist as he nodded bitterly, forcing that smile on his face. Ienari's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed, "Are you just saying that but you wanna get out of it?"

Tsuna let out a small chuckle— _he took it the wrong way._ Ienari frowned, unamused. "You're not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be. How did you get Sasagawa-senpai or Hibari-san into this, anyway?"

"It wasn't me, it was Reborn! He's staging everything!"

"Doesn't seem that way," Tsuna remarked. "You didn't answer me, by the way."

Ienari frowned, but said, " _Onii-san_ tried to get me to join the boxing club, and we had a match. I don't know about Hibari-san. Why don't you ask him, if your so curious?"

"I _mean_ , why Hibari-san of all people? He hates crowds and it's scary enough to think he's a part of this."

Ienari shrugged, "Then again, we have two five year olds and a mafioso living in our house. Bianchi seems nicer to you than to me!"

"I'm not the one Reborn's training?" Tsuna offered.

"Still! She's nearly poisoned me seven times! She hates me! She only tried you once 'cause she thought you were me!"

"Remember that time she swapped the Kyoko's cake for her poisoned one?" Tsuna asked, chuckling.

"Don't remind me," Ienari groaned. The rebuke only caused him to laugh harder, and Ienari rolled his eyes. Tsuna couldn't help it, seeing how flabbergasted he'd been when they saw Bianchi switch the cakes secretly, and oddly none seemed to notice. "By the way, about this morning.."

Tsuna's laughter quickly died down, and he frowned, expecting the next few words. Ienari must've found out _something_. Bianchi stopped trying to kill him not only because he wasn't a candidate, but Reborn _told_ her. He was still a bit sour about him telling the woman. Heck, she even hinted it to Ienari, telling him to _treasure every moment while you can_.

"Are you okay now?" He nodded silently. "What was that?"

"Don't know, don't care," he said simply.

The two stopped in their tracks when they noticed men standing around their home, clad in suits. Ienari shrieked, and Tsuna could only think that _Ienari just jinxed it_. The men cleared a way into the household once they noticed the two of them. Warily, Tsuna avoided any eye contact, keeping his head down. Ienari glanced occasionally from the men to the house.

" _Reborn did something_." Tsuna couldn't help but agree. This time, it seemed tiring.

Once they'd reached home, they were greeted by the their mother and the _freeloaders_ with innocent smiles ( the kids, their mother ) and a sinister smile ( Bianchi ). Ienari shuddered, avoiding the woman's glare. Within moments of their return, Lambo and I-Pin began arguing, and the two began to run around the house.

"Reborn-kun brought home a handsome guest," their mother murmured, sighing softly with a dreamy smile on her face. "He's upstairs in Nari-kun's room."

 _Another weirdo, probably._ Tsuna shuddered at the thought of another freeloader. He didn't particularly mind having more people around the house, but it was getting excessive, with every newcomer deciding to barge into the house like it's theirs. Ienari froze, probably linking two and two together, after all, there were a lot of men outside, and Reborn brought someone with him. He was making an alliance with another boss. It _had_ to be that, what else could it be?

Upon opening Ienari's room—Ienari was dreading the result and Tsuna wanted to make sure it wasn't another weird freeloader—they noticed two more men clad in suits and blonde man on a chair, turning it around and flashing a smile.

"Yo, Vongola Boss." _It's another weirdo trying to act cool_ , Tsuna deadpanned. "I came all the way from Italy to meet you, I'm the tenth generation boss of the Chiavarone Family, Dino."

Dino narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge Ienari's expression. Ienari was freaking out, and Tsuna didn't know whether to be amused or not. This man had sky flames, and he had harmonized with the two men in the room, they were most likely his guardians. He walked over to to Ienari, who backed away defensively, clutching his school bag tightly, and said, "No aura, definitely not the looks, and no ambition or aspirations."

"He's got no money or power, and he's a _dame_ ," Reborn added with a smirk. Dino bursted into laughter, amused. Ienari inwardly sulked at all the insults thrown at him. Tsuna bit back the urge to laugh.

"He doesn't have any attributes of a boss," he said, cracking a smile. But then, suddenly, noticing Tsuna, he said, "Wait, there's two of them?!"

 _Did you really just notice_ now?

"Didn't I tell you there were twins, _baka-Dino_?"

"W-Was he here the whole time?"

"Yes," Tsuna deadpanned, staring boredly. He wasn't the next freeloader, and that was all he cared about. This person didn't seem bad, though, he was _offended_ that he was just noticed.

"Sorry about that," Dino said, smiling sheepishly. He offered his hand, and with hesitance, Tsuna shook his hand. _He's not a bad person_ , his intuition told him. In response, he only nodded.

"Before I came here, I was tutoring Dino to become a mafia boss," Reborn said.

"W-wha—Mafia?!" Ienari exclaimed. Dino's eyes turned to Ienari, who shrieked and backed away.

"Wasn't that obvious, Ienari? He's the boss of a family," Tsuna said. In response, he grumbled and said nothing.

.

"Sorry about earlier," Dino apologized for the second time. Tsuna shrugged it off. Ienari was knocked out in his room from the stress after the incident with Enzo. The turtle had grown in water, shocking them and Lambo. Dino had only laughed sheepishly, forgetting to mention that tiny detail that could've prevented it from happening. They all ended up soaking wet as a result, and were sitting in Tsuna's room with the window open, cooling off from the summer heat. He was seriously useless without his men, tripping over _nothing_. "You're the sky, aren't you?"

Tsuna stiffened, eyes narrowing.

"He is," Reborn confirmed. He shot a glare at the hitman, who ignored him.

"How do you know?" he asked cautiously, avoiding any form of eye contact.

"You have sky flames, for sure, and I can see the pacifier," he said. With a jolt, Tsuna realized the wet clothes stuck to him, and the pacifier was visible under it. Unconsciously, his hand gripped it, and he could feel the tiny chains around it.

"Ienari's the boss," Tsuna confirmed.

"I could tell that," Dino said, chuckling lightly. "No offense, You don't seem like the person to lead a large famiglia."

"Not that I'd want to," he responded. "Things are fine the way they are."

Dino frowned, and he got the indirect message. _Ienari doesn't know_. Tsuna liked Dino, he wasn't a bad person. Heck, he was trained under Reborn, and felt a bit sympathetic. Ienari was already being tormented and things just seemed to get even livelier. He could sense that the blonde beside him was hesitating to respond.

"You're an evil person, Tsuna, hiding the truth," Dino decided to say. He shrugged. "He's going to find out sooner or later."

"I'll deal with it when it happens."

"And what are we suppose to say if you die before he finds out?" Dino then asked.

"Not my problem," Tsuna said, with an amused, dark smile. "You have to figure it out."

"Why're you acting like Reborn when you're not even being tutored by him?!" Dino whined. "That's scary!"

And a gun was aimed at him, the said hitman smirking. Dino sulked, probably thinking the younger Sawada was mature and kind and _nothing_ like Reborn, but he was wrong.

"You really do need more training, _baka-Dino,_ "Reborn said, and he quickly backed away from the hitman.

"Would he be a good boss?" Tsuna asked warily.

"What do _you_ think?" Dino asked, with an amused smile. "You're around him and his guardians everyday, I'm assuming. You know their true nature."

Tsuna contemplated the thought. It was an honest question, and an honest comment. Ienari was never really a rude person, although a bit dense in certain situations, but he cared for his family and friends. The only thing he wondered was, if that would let them survive in the mafia world. He frowned, and turned to face the young boss beside him.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully.

"It's too early to decide," Dino concluded, with a cheeky grin. "He doesn't even have all his guardians yet."

 _Oh, right_.

"He needs more training," Reborn reminded. "And his intuition is getting stronger."

Tsuna frowned at that. Ienari would find out soon, for sure. He'd sensed his brother began to have better senses lately, but he hadn't put to thought that he would eventually find out something.

"He's gonna find out soon, then," Dino voiced his thought, and his frown deepened.

" _I know_."

"I heard the Bovino Famiglia invented that ten-year-bazooka," Dino then added, "That's the worst way for him to find out, considering his lightning guardian's a five year old who'll use it blindly."

.

The ranking child had been the next actual freeloader to join them.

Fuuta was being chased by men, only to be saved by Ienari and the Dying Will bullet, and then brought to their home, with all the guardians, I-Pin, and that girl from another school— _when did she slip into the craze?! who was she anyway_?!—all curious at the same nearly kidnapped child who offered to tell them rankings.

" _H-hahi_! What's going on?!" the strange girl shrieked, as items around the room began to float aimlessly. Reborn began another weird explanation of Fuuta's ability, causing him and Ienari to sigh in disbelief.

"Haru-nee's three most attractive features are her eyes, her dimples, and her hair," the child murmured idly. Tsuna casted a skeptical look to both him and the girl, who was beaming with joy. Yamamoto laughed, interested, and Gokudera, he wasn't sure if the teen was impressed or annoyed.

"Tsuna-nii is ranked number one for being unable to deny a request, followed by Ienari-nii."

"That sounds like you guys!" Yamamoto chirped, grinning.

"I-I guess.." Ienari murmured.

"I-Pin's gyoza kempo is ranked one hundred sixteen out of five hundred forty two of mid ranged attacks. It's a high ranking for a child her age." The storm arcobaleno's student had a bright smile on her face, and Tsuna was rather impressed. Fon must've taught her well, he thought.

"Lambo is ranked number one of most irritating mafioso." _What kind of a ranking is that_? Lambo's face turned blank as he quietly walked over to Tsuna, sitting on his lap. Though a quiet Lambo was appreciative to have around, it was outright creepy for the noisy child to suddenly shut up.

"Where do I stand in the rankings of people fit to be _Jyuudaime's_ right hand man?" Gokudera then asked.

"That's simple, Hayato-nii's ranking is.." Fuuta began, "out of range."

And that was a huge shock to Hayato. _Of course it is_ , Tsuna thought warily. He was so keen and determined to be Ienari's right hand man. Then, Ienari just had to ask, "You can be out of a ranking's range?!"

"Not just the ranking's range, it's outside the atmosphere's range," Fuuta responded nonchalantly.

 _Out of this world_? Gokudera nearly fainted from shock, and Ienari was probably guilty he even asked. Yamamoto, unfazed and laughing, annoyed Gokudera. Tsuna sighed hopelessly.

"Hayato-nii would be number one as a preschool teacher." Gokudera and kids? He already made Lambo cry at least eleven times already. Tsuna cringed. That was bad, _impossible_.

"Takeshi-nii would be number eighty nine out of eight hundred seventy two mafioso as a strong hitman."

Well, he could somewhat see Yamamoto as a hitman, his accuracy and sharp eyes a fearful talent—in baseball. The strange girl shrieked in fear, cowering behind Ienari and murmuring something about being dangerous. He didn't understand her.

"Tsuna-nii would be ranked number seventeen out of nine hundred forty five as a strong mafioso." _What_. Ienari, Haru, and Gokudera shot him a wary look. That's not possible, he knew. He didn't know how to fight. He shot a look at Reborn, floating stupidly in a space suit because of Fuuta's weird anti-gravity effect. The hitman seemed to ignore him completely.

The room felt stuffy—and tense because of three skeptical teens doubting him. Fuuta was usually accurate, or so Reborn said. Could he really be strong? He was going to open the window for air when the child just _had_ to say, "The number one person Ienari loves is Leon."

" _Hahi_?! L-Leon?!" Haru shrieked. She looked more shocked than Ienari, and that was scary. Yamamoto was laughing his head off, probably super amused at these ridiculous rankings. Gokudera looked pitifully rejected. The ranking child was giving him a headache, he decided. Everyone was overreacting to his statements. Though, he couldn't deny he didn't overreact either.

Hoping fresh air would clear his headache, he opened the window. It was raining. Once Fuuta noticed the rain, all the floating objects dropped to the floor.

"I don't like the rain.. My rankings get messed up in the rain."

 _Why is that a relief_?

"Wait, then, which rankings were accurate and which weren't?" Ienari asked. Gokudera and Lambo suddenly looked happier and relieved, and Haru frowned.

 **Sorry for the late update. I started watching Trickster and Bungou Stray Dogs. :)**


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